"That's Why I Like It"

He was young and dark-haired, standing across the street from the older woman. No shirt. Mower grass bag in one hand on this sleepy Santa Cruz street where twilight was doing its thing.

She said something to him. I didn't hear her words. It was a friendly conversation, you could tell by the way he was smiling and leaning forward. All I heard as I walked by with my dog was his answer:

"Yeah, it's hard. That's why I like it."

I smiled. Those words made more sense to me than anything I had heard all day long.

His reply could have related to mowing, to weightlifting, or to astrophysics. The context didn't matter. Only the attitude did.

"Yeah, it's hard. That's why I like it."

I so got that. Easy has never really interested me.

But something difficult to accomplish?

That's where I learn who I am and what kind of heart is beating in this body of mine.

How about you? Do you want easy or hard?